FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - CROCK POT STEAK PIZZAIOLA

Steak Pizzaiola is a family favorite here at the Lanni household.  When you order it in an Italian restaurant it is usually made with a shell, strip or sirloin steak as these are firm, tender cuts.  At home, we have always made it with bone-in chuck steaks.  The chuck steak is an inexpensive but very flavorful choice but it can be tough.  I decided to experiment and adapt the recipe for crock pot cooking and the result is an amazingly tender dish with really big flavor.  

Ingredients:

1 large [2-3#] bone in chuck steak, 1" thick

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

one 8 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon dry oregano

1/2 tablespoon dry basil

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes [optional]

Method:

In the bottom of the crock pot combine all ingredients and stir.  Cut the steak into 3 or 4 pieces to fit your crock and submerge them in the sauce mixture.  Cook on medium for 6-7 hours until fork tender.  Remove the meat to a serving platter and serve the sauce over white rice or pasta and top with grated romano cheese.  

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - CRUNCHY OVEN "FRIED" CHICKEN

Simple and delicious, this is a variation on "fried" chicken that's sure to please.  The recipe is flexible enough to adapt to your own personal choice of herbs but I prefer a straight forward approach with few, if any, herbs.  The chicken is crisp and tasty with a hint of sweetness provided by the corn flake crumbs.  I like to serve it with mashed potatoes and the optional "gravy".

This is a dish that is sure to impress.  You can keep the fact of how easy it is to make just between us!

Ingredients:

1 chicken cut up into 8 pieces

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 cups corn flake crumbs 

1 stick of butter, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 425* and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack in the pan.  Spray with cooking spray.  

Wash and dry the chicken parts.

In a wide bowl combine 1 can of soup with 1/2 cup milk and the pepper.  Whisk until smooth.

In another bowl combine the corn flake crumbs, salt, onion powder and paprika.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the wet mixture and then in the dry mix.  Place on the prepared rack and bake and drizzle with the melted butter.  Bake for 40 minutes.

"GRAVY"

Combine 1 can of soup with 1/2 cup of milk.  Whisk until smooth and heat until simmer.  Yes, that's all there is to it!  

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - CAPE MAY LOBSTER SANDWICH

Best ever lobster & cheese sandwich!

I recently had the pleasure of a short trip to the New Jersey shore.  No trip to the shore would be complete for me without spending some quality time in Cape May.  Beautiful Cape May is located at southernmost tip of the Garden State and is home to some of the most beautiful historic Victorian homes in the United States.  

For me Cape May is a journey back to my youth.  I have been vacationing there since I was 5 years old.  The beauty of the town is that it never changes.  Businesses come and go but the structures remain intact and as charming as they ever were.  In fact, I think it looks better every year.  I'm rooted in Cape May.  When I'm on the tiny, pristine boardwalk smelling the aroma of roasted nuts from Marrow's Nut House and gazing out across the white sand to the ocean I feel as though time has stood still.

I feel the presence of my parents all around me when I'm in Cape May.  They loved it there.  I watched the first moon landing on a portable black and white TV with my dad while sitting  the steps of the Lafayette Motel which is still there.  The first mini golf courses which sparked my obsession still sparkle.  The church that my mother dragged me to on Sundays, when I would have preferred to be swimming, still watches over the quaint pedestrian mall in the center of town.

On this trip we found ourselves in a local beachfront restaurant for lunch.  This was never one of my "hangouts" as it was usually boisterous and a little too loud with live music and pitchers of beer everywhere but it was convenient and air conditioned.  I looked over the menu and decided on something which sounded odd and oddly interesting.  My Foodie Friday recipes have always been my own or family recipes which have been handed down to me but this week I'm going to share the recipe for that unusual but amazingly delicious lobster & cheese sandwich. This is more about the idea of combining ingredients that you wouldn't necessarily pair and having a truly great surprise.

Ingredients:

good quality grain or ciabatta bread

lobster meat [cooked]

brie

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil leaves

russian dressing

butter

Method:

Make a sandwich by covering the insides of two pieces of bread with the two cheeses.  Top one of the pieces of bread with a lump of lobster meat and then a few leaves of fresh basil.  Add about a tablespoon of russian dressing over the basil and close the sandwich.  Butter the outsides of the sandwich with softened butter and brown in a skillet until toasted on both sides.

This sandwich was halved and arranged on a plate with potato chips and a cup of tomato soup for dunking.  I found the soup to be completely unnecessary and overpowering.  The flavors of the melted cheeses with the hint of sweet from the lobster and Russian dressing work so well with the crisp clean bite of the fresh basil.  This is a gooey, savory elegant sandwich.

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - LOBSTER FRA DIAVOLO

Lobster fra diavolo is a sure-to-please summer favorite of mine.  Piquant and light, I prefer to serve mine over a heaping bed of mafalde pasta.  Mafalde is best described as narrow lasagna noodles.  They stand up well to the spicy sauce and yet they're delicate.  You can adjust the heat factor of this devil's dish from mild to torturous.  I prefer mine on the medium to hot side.  

Ingredients:

One 32 ounce can of good quality tomato puree, preferable San Marzano tomatoes.  

4 medium lobster tails*

1 small onion minced

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

one 8 ounce jar of roasted red peppers

salt

pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

6 leaves fresh basil

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes [to taste]

1/4 cup red wine

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound mafalde pasta

Method: 

In a small saucepan lightly brown the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and remove from heat.  Add tomato puree, 1/2 tomato can of water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, oregano and 5 basil leaves.  Reserve one leaf of basil to chop and sprinkle over cooked dish.  Return sauce to heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

While the sauce is simmering par boil the lobster tails in salted water with the white vinegar for 4 minutes.  Immediately remove the tails to a cold water bath to cool for handling.  

When the lobster is cool enough to touch, cut the tails in half lengthwise with a sharp knife and remove the meat.  Now I like to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces but you can leave them halved.  Set aside until sauce is done.

Now bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare the mafalde according to the package directions.

Drain the roasted peppers and slice into medium strips.

At the 45 minute mark remove the sauce from the heat and add the lobster, peppers and wine and return to the heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve on a platter over the cooked pasta.  Sprinkle the basil leaf over top and enjoy!  

* you can easily substitute cleaned, raw shrimp or even calms.

MINI GOLF MONDAY: GOLF QUEST

After last week's sour double-header downer I was craving one of my comfort courses.  Golf Quest sporting complex was the destination of the week.  The weather reports were ominous so I didn't want to stray too far from home and this course is just about 35 minutes away in Brookfield, Connecticut.  Simple and charming, this place always makes me smile.

When you first drive up, the main building which houses the driving range, pro shop and snack bar is crisp, clean and inviting.  There are some trees for shade over the parking lot.  The course is to the left.  You don't have to go to the main building except for the restrooms because the mini golf office is, as it should be, in a hut at the entrance to the course. There is also a snack or ice cream shack there but I've never seen that open.  As you approach the hut there is a small pond on the left which begins the vague New England theme.

The course is not very difficult but it is challenging enough to hold my interest as a repeat visitor.  The holes are varied with bumps, berms and rough patches.  There are a couple of multi-level courses for added fun.  One of the quirky bits about this little gem is the choice of fairway colors.  They are bright and cheerful but nothing about this place is garish or over-stated.   The colors add a little visual whimsy without giant mechanical creatures.

Some of the fairway colors are evocative of a mid-century Barbie Dream House. 

If Barbie and Ken went on a New England adventure this is surely where they would have played mini golf.  

For an overall fun and refreshing game of mini golf, this is the place.  It is laid-back, and relaxing without being dull or boring.  Bring the kids [when I'm not there] and have a great family outing.  The course is well maintained and the brief interaction I have had with the staff has always been pleasant.  

I give this place a B+.  Points deducted only for degree of difficulty and lack of those great ball retriever flags.  

Golf Quest Family Sport Center

1 Sand Cut Road

Brookfield, CT.

golfquestranges.com

FOODIE FRIDAY RECIPE - BALSAMIC ROASTED ASPARAGUS

This simple recipe is an all-time favorite of mine.  Great for company entertaining but I make it at least once a week for myself when asparagus is in season and reasonable.  They are caramelized and slightly chewy and are delicious hot, cold or at room temperature.  I always make enough to have leftovers to put in a salad during the week.

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh thin asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Method:

Preheat oven to 400*.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Wash the asparagus under cold water with the rubber band intact.  Remove the rubber band and snap off the touch bottoms or cut about 1.5 inches.  Place the asparagus on the cookie sheet in a single layer.  

In a small bowl or measuring cup combine all the remaining ingredients and pour over the asparagus.  Cover with foil and bake on center rack for 20 to 25 minutes turning half-way through the cooking.    The stalks will be dark and tender.

MINI GOLF MONDAY: A TALE OF TWO SISTER COURSES

Memorial Day weekend is what I consider to be the start of the "official" mini golf season.  It's here.  It's hot.  I couldn't wait to play a pair of courses that we hadn't played before.  Within our normal radius of under an hour from home there are two sister courses that I read about last summer but never got to explore.  The Tappan Golf  Center is located in Beautiful Tappan New York.  The second course is about three miles away in Closter New Jersey.

We played the Tappan course first.  Luckily I found a parking spot under a nice shady tree as the temperature was approaching the 90* mark.  We stumbled around and finally found the mini golf office which is in the driving range.  The personality-free clerk took our money and handed out clubs and balls.  There was to be no decision-making here.  You get a club, you get a ball.  End of story.  No searching for a club that fits or feels right.  No choice of ball colors.  How can I coordinate my ball with my outfit if you don't get a choice!

Ball and club in hand, we navigated our way to the course which is clean and well maintained with mostly new greens.

The course has some difficulty to it with obligatory water, rough turf and obstacles but it is clear that this course was designed by a Spartan.  The layout is austere.  The holes are bland and repetitive.  I see now that the staff reflects the course.  I think my golf partner liked the course more than I.  I got the feeling that the owners focussed on the driving range, had a little spare land and thought the mini golf course would provide extra revenue.  There certainly were none of those nice ball retriever flags.  There were a couple of trees which provided some well-appreciated shade.

 

Once more into the drink!

Carol lost her ball about half-way through.  It appeared to have gone into some plantings but perhaps it went into the water.  We couldn't find it which meant she had to trudge back for another visit to the Golf Nazi who was not at all happy. Again there was to be no choice of ball color which meant that she returned with a ball to match mine. This is also another of those courses with no paths.  There weren't very many patrons but I can see this as a potential problem.  

Despite the well-kept greens and somewhat challenging holes, I give this place a B-.  Points off for staff and overall atmosphere.  This is a course I would go to if I had too many espressos and needed a snooze.

Tappan Golf Center

116 Route 303

Tappan, NY

Off to see the sister...

After a break for lunch and much needed hydration, we were off to Closter, NJ and our second course of the day.  I was hopeful because the photos of this place included a large giraffe.  Not in a kiddy-land way but I thought that perhaps it boded better for some mirth.  I was wrong.

The parking lot was large and hot and we could see the course was right smack on a busy road.  Once again we had to go into the driving range and find our way to the mini golf office.  Who comes up with this design? Would it be too expensive to have a clerk / office at the course?  All hopes of this being a happier experience were soon dashed at the office.  The clerk, who could have been the twin to the previous staff member, was once again sour and silent.  Again we were handed our clubs and balls and again there was no choice offered.  This time, to add to the charm, there is an ugly sign on the ugly office informing that there is a $10 deposit on each club and a $1 deposit on the ball.  I have never seen such a thing. Has there been a rash of club and ball thefts in this affluent community?  

After our merry-making encounter with the office staff we go back out and around to the golf course, in the now 90* plus heat, only to find that the obvious entry gate is padlocked.  A friendly groundskeeper [who must not be one of the ownership family] motions to us that the entrance is actually back inside the range, past the mini golf office and out a garage door which was currently blocked by a delivery truck.  He graciously unlocked yet another gate for us to enter without having to go back and around, and smuggled us inside.  This was evocative of an illegal border crossing and if we had been in Arizona I'd be fishing out my residency documentation.  Still, I was grateful to our "coyote" for his help.  It would have been helpful if the clerk had mentioned something about the entrance or pointed us in the right direction when he took our money and handed us his choice of balls.  But he hadn't.  

OK, we're inside.  That couple who crashed the White House state dinner had an easier time getting past the Secret Service.  Now the course awaits.  If the other course was slightly dull, this one is it's less-impressive sister.  This is a quick course.  All of the usual stuff was there but with even less charm or appeal.

  Even that large giraffe from the website was looking more embarrassed than happy!

This giraffe must have been left on the property by the previous owners.  I can't imagine this management bothering to put him there. Perhaps the locked gates are to prevent the giraffe from escaping. We played our 18 average holes while burning and being serenaded by traffic noises. I half-expected look-out turrets with armed guards and binoculars to be watching over us to be sure we didn't steal anything.  

Our game was mercifully quick.  We made our exit back around to the garage door in the driving range, deposited our balls and clubs back at the office and then back to our car.  It was like a scene out of a prison movie and I felt like we should be handed our belongings in a manilla envelope.  If Sing Sing were to have a mini golf course, this would be the model.

Overall: C.  The mitigating factor in its favor is the good condition of the greens and the bland-but-lush landscaping.

Closter Golf Center

153 Homans Avenue

Closter, NJ